


WELCOME TO TRENCH

by redheadednerd



Category: Trench - Twenty One Pilots (Album), Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Amnesia, Control, Cover me, Depression, FPE, Failed Perimeter Escape, Fan Work, Few Proud Emotional, Gen, In time I will leave the city, JOSH IS ENGAGED LETS ALL SCREECH, Josh is a bean, Journal, References to Depression, Stay Alive, Tags, They can't see yellow, Triggers, Tyler and Josh are bros, Tyler's Journey, We all hate nico, album, best bois, bros, dema, fave band, for now I will stay alive, idk if there will be romance, im a bandito, in trench im not alone, jumpsuit, keep the bois away from DEMA, let them be happy, nico is annoying, trench, twenty one pilots - Freeform, tyler is a bean - Freeform, yellow - Freeform, ||-//
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 23:43:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17130959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadednerd/pseuds/redheadednerd
Summary: DEMA.A dead city full of living people.No one thinks, no one sees, and no one acts against the city.Tyler Joseph is the same way.His past is a blur.He is blind to the truth of the Bishops.Until something changes, and he realizes that his life is being controlled.He knows nothing about himself except that he needs to escape.Escape the Nine.Escape Nico.He cannot let his doubts and fears control him.





	1. Day 1

I’m gonna do it.  
I’m gonna try to get out again.  
I need to get out of here.

Last time I was careless.  
I didn’t cover my tracks, and I wasn’t smart enough to leave without anyone noticing. Of course someone would snitch. I can’t trust anyone in this place.

I double checked my supplies today. My bag wasn’t disposed of, thank god, so I still have all my stuff. Food may be a problem. The Nine won’t let us have any food besides our usual rations, and since I’m now in a more monitored area, I can’t sneak out to get more.  
I hear one of the guards outside in the corridor. Always sniffing around, making sure we’re all properly brainwashed. It’s probably Mace. He’s mostly in charge in this sector of the city. He’s also Nico’s favorite. Good for him, bad for me.

Nico has this… power.  
None of the other Nine have it.  
He’s the head of the city.  
He’s the boss.  
He’s the one who keeps ruining my plans.

He’s brainwashing us.  
We are all under his control.  
When anyone shows any deviancy against the society, he will smile coldly, pull you aside, and knock “sense” into you.  
His hands.  
He holds the power to control. After touching my neck last time, I noticed that he leaves black, sooty marks behind. I’m sure that’s the source. Where he gets it, I don’t know.  
Whenever I’m controlled, I feel suffocated.  
My neck and throat seem to collapse in on themselves.  
My brain goes fuzzy, and I don’t hear anything except Nico’s voice.  
Come.  
I have no choice but to follow, because I can’t remember what I was doing.  
But now I remember.  
I must have deviated before, but I just can’t remember.  
I’ve been branded with “FAILED PERIMETER ESCAPE” on my jumpsuit for as long as I can think of.  
It’s a violation against the code of conduct.  
Just now I was moved to a more secure room.  
They don’t trust me.

The flower was in my hands when the Nine came for me. I had picked it up in curiosity.  
It fell from the cliff.

I was in the middle of Trench, following the icy river cutting through it. I thought I was safe from the Nine, away from the rituals, and insanity that goes on in the city.  
I was wrong.  
I heard hoofsteps.  
Horses.

I started to run.  
There had been a rockfall, and a convenient pile of large rocks was just ahead.  
I hid behind a boulder, terrified.  
I looked down the gorge, trying to see how close they were.  
I looked up.  
A flash of yellow.  
I squinted, trying to make out what I saw, but it was gone.  
Then, a yellow sunflower landed in my lap.  
I picked it up and examined it.  
No flowers grew in the city.

When the Nine found me, I hurriedly stuffed the flower in one of my many pockets, and kept running.  
I tripped.  
Next thing I knew, I woke up in this room.

I still had the flower. And I was remembering.

Nico.  
His hands.  
The cold, suffocating feeling spreading up my neck.  
Being dragged back.

The morning bell is ringing. I need to go.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More character building mostly.

Day 2

Rituals.  
Why do we have these?  
The Nine worship this light source we call Neon.  
All the other citizens are expected to worship it too.  
They’re fine with it.  
For the most part.  
My theory is that they’re too brainwashed to think anything else.  
The Nine create Neon by blowing the long glass tubes, arranging them in a trapezoidal shape, and then “summon” it.  
I don’t know what I think of it.  
It just doesn’t seem natural.

When I woke up in my room the day I was brought back, I didn’t know what had happened.  
A guard opened the door and handed me a note. On it was one word; unpack.  
I moved in a sort of daze, still groggy from waking up. My knapsack was on the bed. I opened it and took out my things. My red beanie, my white sunglasses, and a ukulele. I don’t know where these things came from. It’s one of the many parts of my past that I can’t remember. All I know is that I can’t lose them. I hide them under a loose floorboard in the room. I can’t have the Nine take them away.  
After unpacking, I took off my dark green jumpsuit, threw it on the bed, and sat down, trying to remember what had happened. 

A splash of color caught my eye.

The only color we have in the city is red, dark green, greys, blacks, and whites.  
Red is the color of the Nine’s robes.  
Dark green for the jumpsuits.  
But never anything else besides that.

I looked at my jumpsuit.  
One of the pockets had a yellow petal poking out.  
I tentatively picked it up.  
The petal.  
The flower.  
The rock.  
Trench.

A flood of memories hit me all at once.  
Flash of yellow.  
Nico.  
The Nine.  
The Feeling.

I gasped aloud.

That’s when I first realized that everyone here is being brainwashed.  
Ever since then, I’ve kept the flowers in a box near my bed.  
I’ve always wondered why they didn’t take it away.  
I have at least seven now.  
They help me recover from my brainwashing sessions. None of the Nine have discovered my stash, so I assume that I’m in the clear.  
Sort of.

I feel like they suspect something.   
I’m isolated in the rituals.   
The other citizens are allowed to sit anywhere, but I have to sit in a certain spot, escorted there by a guard. It sucks.  
Talking is a no go.  
The rituals are extremely quiet, yet mentally loud.  
You can barely hear yourself think.  
I know the Nine do it.  
They keep us in a state of belief. Albeit forced.  
They want us to worship the Neon as they do.  
Most do.  
I don’t.  
Because I know there’s something else.  
The Neon is fake.  
Man-made.  
I just have this internal feeling in my gut that there’s something more real.  
Maybe that’s why I rebel.  
Maybe that’s why the Nine don’t trust me.  
______________________________________________________  
Tyler followed behind the guard at a slow pace. The rituals always put him in a mood.  
His brain felt numb, his thoughts coming from deep underwater.  
He reached his room. Once he heard the guard walking away from the door, he opened his box.  
Yellow.  
The flower stood out drastically in the gray room.  
Tyler drank it in, letting his eyes take in every part about it.  
It had since become dried, and brown was appearing around the edges of the petals.  
But it was still a change.

Tyler sighed.  
Tonight.  
Tonight was the perfect time.

At approximately 12:30 AM, Tyler left the room.  
The guards usually left the door unlocked at night because the bathroom was down the hall. Even convicts need to use the toilet.  
Tyler cautiously made his way down the dark hall. He wasn’t sure if the guards were still on patrol at this hour. He kept close to the walls just in case.  
As he was about to round a corner at the end of the hallway, he stopped. He heard something.   
Tyler slowly peeked around the corner. He saw a guard sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. He was snoring.  
Tyler smirked. The Nine were gonna have a fit when they figured out this guy was sleeping on the job. Best to be far away when that happens.   
He reached the exit with little difficulty. Tyler avoided the guards easily, having been in the City for as long as he could remember.   
He kept close to the walls, trying to blend in with the shadows. Once through the exit, Tyler ran. He didn’t look back.  
______________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HO HO POV change! Yes it's supposed to be like that lol.


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> worldbuilding! and if the picture doesn't show up im sorry lol

I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been busy. It’s actually been five days since I last wrote. I’m out. I’m out. Out in the open, out in the air, out. I wish I could celebrate. I don’t think I should make a commotion though. The Nine will have definitely noticed that I was gone by now. Another thing. I think I’m being followed. Or watched. I have this weird feeling. I keep hearing things. A rustle. A crunch. A footstep? I don’t know. I never see anything. Whatever it is, I almost feel at ease when I hear it. I know it isn’t the Nine. Their style isn’t stealth. They love to parade in and make a scene. They love that they get to erase that memory so that they can do it as many times as they want. I hate it. It’s terrifying, hearing the beat of 18 pairs of hooves. My heart beats so loud I can’t hear myself think. That’s when they get you. The Nine. Maybe I should stop writing about the Nine. I’m out. I’m away. They can’t get to me. Yet. Ok. I’m gonna stop now. I’ll write about Trench. First of all. Color. Yellow. Green. Blue. Some reds. There’s also some grey and white. But they’re not overpowering. They just add contrast to the beauty of this place. In DEMA, there’s nothing but greys. Too much. It’s perfect here. Albeit cold. There’s a river. It’s freezing, but refreshing. I took my first drink from it today. It tasted like liquid heaven. I can’t describe it very well. It was definitely an experience. Nothing like the water in the City. It’s too warm there. Not refreshing at all. I plunged my hands in the river as well, just to feel the sensation. My hands still feel chilled. But I feel awake. It’s as if the water gave me a shock that knocked all fuzziness out of my head. My vision feels more sharp, and I no longer feel lost. There it is again. That rustle. What is it? Another thing to discover I guess. I haven’t written about where I am. I’m in a cave of sorts. It’s… I don’t know, sort of an overhang? It’s hidden from the wind though, and it’s almost cozy. I’m just sitting, and I’ve got a blanket around my shoulders. It’s nice. One thing that’s weird about this cave/ledge/overhang. It’s got symbols painted on it. In yellow. Why always yellow? This color always comes back to me. It’s warm, and… familiar. The symbols are strange, but two of them look familiar to me. There’s a type of fork, except the middle prong is a bit longer than the others. Then there’s a symbol with two straight lines , a dash, then two slashes. I should draw them in here.

 

This is pretty rough, and I don’t have yellow, but that’s basically what they look like. I don’t know why they look familiar to me. Again the rustling. Ok. I just checked my surroundings around the cave. And behind a bush was a yellow flower. Freshly picked. I swear, there is something (or someone) following me. I’ll update later. I’ve got to get some rest.


	4. Day 3 (night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get Nico! I want to focus mostly on this aspect of Tyler's struggle, so you should expect some more of this

I woke up and now I can’t get back to sleep.   
I do have a flashlight, so now I can see.  
I don’t know what to write about.

City, grass, rocks, cave, flower, petals, symbols, lines, yellow  
Who am I?  
I am Tyler.  
Where am I?  
I am in Trench.  
What is my purpose?  
….Undecided.  
Why am I here?  
Because I want to escape.  
Because I don’t know my past.  
Because I hate the City.  
Because…

My brain did that weird deja vu thing.  
I don’t know why I’m here, but I know that I have to be here.  
What if

No I won’t go into the negative, I need to stay positive.  
Stop thinking.  
Sleep brain.  
Stop stop stop stop stopstopstopstopstopstop  
___________________________________________

Tyler broke.  
He collapsed in a shuddering heap, letting his journal fall to the cave floor.  
Nico.  
Tyler.  
Tyler come home.

“I WON’T!”  
He put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the bishop’s voice.  
It didn’t help.  
You won’t succeed.  
Your goal is non-existent.   
Why are you out here?   
There’s no point.

Tyler coughed out a sob.  
His head and neck felt cold. His mind felt like there was a cold vice tightening around it.

“I won’t come back… I w-won’t….”  
He panted. His heart thumped precariously.  
But you will.  
You always do.  
I’ll find you.

Tyler reached into his pocket in a panic, his mind slowly giving in to the thudding, cold feeling, giving in to the voice, giving in to Nico.  
His hand wrapped around the flower.  
He pulled it out, clutching it like a lifeline.  
The yellow.  
It gave him strength.  
It gave him courage.  
He was out.  
He was away.  
Come home.  
You don’t belong here.

Tyler took a shaky breath.  
“You don’t control me.”  
The darkness receded slightly.  
But I do.  
Here I am.  
You have to come to me.

Tyler stood up.  
“You. Don’t. Control. Me.”

No.  
Stop.  
I am the reason that you are still alive.  
I saved you.  
I saved you from the dangers of the outside world.  
Stop this right now.

Tyler gripped his head and closed his eyes.  
“YOU DON’T CONTROL ME. GET OUT OF MY HEAD.”  
Fine.  
But I’ll be back.  
I always come back.

The darkness receded.  
The smothering cold on his neck retreated.  
Tyler was on his knees.  
The flower was still in front of him.

He walked over to his makeshift bed, then collapsed into it, sobbing his pain into the fabric.


	5. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OOOOO (also yes hello I'm back)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Tyler sees a face and we all freak because we all know who it is

A new day.  
Time to keep going.  
Today I found a pile of yellow petals sitting on the ground in front of me.  
I gift?  
I put them in one of my many pockets.

~~~~~~~~

Smoke.  
I saw smoke.  
There’s someone out here.  
It’s not just me.  
I can’t investigate the source, because it was coming from the very top of the cliff.  
I could climb the cliff…  
No.  
There’s the vultures.  
They land on the sides and the top.  
I’ve seen too many vultures.  
Here, and in DEMA.  
They feed on pain.  
I’m sure of it.  
I am brimming with pain.  
I want to avoid them.

Vultures are scavengers.  
They prey on animals that have already been killed. They eat despair.  
Especially when it’s left out in the sun too long.  
I’m staying positive, and I’m not gonna climb the cliff.  
Too risky.

I did explore along the edge of the cliff. Nothing much except some more strange symbols painted every so often.  
I did some thinking, some remembering, and I am pretty sure that I know who makes the symbols.  
No name comes to me though.  
My memories feel walled off, and I feel like they’re calling me from the other side.  
It makes me feel lonely.  
__________________________________

The sun was going down.  
Trench was bathed in a soft pink aura, the clouds tinged with orange.  
It was the most beautiful thing Tyler had ever seen.

__________________________________

I found another cave.  
Same kind of style, there’s symbols on the walls and stuff.  
There’s also some writing.  
And I think it’s helping me push forward.  
“Stay Alive”  
I feel like it’s meant for me in some way, but I just can’t remember enough to actually be sure.  
In any case, it still helps me.

I’d better sleep.  
I have to conserve my energy if I want to keep moving.  
________________________________________

Yellow.  
A face.  
Who? He moves closer, but the face fades from his view.  
“Come back!”  
He has to follow, but the path is blurred.  
He can’t see.  
Can’t feel.  
Can’t follow.  
He sinks into nothingness.  
_____________________________________


	6. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH

A face.  
There’s someone I need to find.  
But who?  
I’m on the move again, but I don’t even know where I’m going.  
My feet just need to move.  
I can’t curl up and give in.  
I have to do this.

That face…  
My memory of it is fuzzy.  
But they were wearing a hood.  
And something yellow.  
A hood…  
Yellow.  
Like the flowers.  
I know this person.  
Whoever they are.

_________________________________________

Tyler stopped at a sound behind him.  
The rustle had been following him for a while.  
He was starting to get paranoid.  
He turned around. “Whoever is following me, please show themselves.”  
No answer.  
Tyler sighed. “Fine then. Don’t. It’s not like I need help or anything. Just gotta keep walking.”  
______________________________________________

The rustle is kinda getting on my nerves  
I’ve searched the bushes a million times for the source, but I’ve never found anything.  
It might be my imagination.  
Am I going crazy?  
Maybe loneliness is a cause of insanity.  
I don’t know.  
Again.  
I’m almost hoping that it’s someone from DEMA.  
Just to see a face.  
No  
That’s not my life anymore.

 

______________________________________________  
The rustle again.  
Tyler stopped again, letting out a breath.  
“Why are you following me? Who are you? What are you?”  
He wasn’t expecting a voice to reply.

“It’s me.”  
Tyler whirled around in surprise.  
Along the side of the cliff, someone stepped out of a large bush.  
Green jacket, green hood, a large yellow X on the chest.  
And a yellow bandana covering up a face.  
From the voice, Tyler could tell he was male.  
He couldn’t speak for a minute.  
The man spoke instead. “I’ve been following you, making sure that you weren’t getting in any sort of trouble.”  
Tyler shook off his surprise. “Who are you?”  
A grim look passed over the stranger’s face for a second. “...I’m a friend.” He almost sounded angry.  
“What’s your name?” Tyler said warily, worried that this guy might not mean well.  
“It doesn’t matter, all you need to know is that I’m not a threat.”  
“Then why show yourself now? You’ve been secretly following me for three days!”  
The stranger chuckled. “Yeah I guess that was kinda creepy.”  
Tyler nodded a bit distractedly. This person seemed so familiar. His voice, though muffled by the bandana, was comforting in a way, and his demeanor was calming.  
“I’m sorry, but I feel like I know you…” Tyler found himself saying.  
The stranger laughed, then fell into a sad sort of silence.  
“Well?” Tyler needed to know. “Do I know you?”  
The stranger said nothing.  
He held out a yellow flower and a battered compass. “Take these. You’ll need it on your way to the camp.”  
“Camp?” Tyler took the items confusedly. “What camp, I don’t even know who you are! What am I doing out here?! Why is this happening to me?!”  
The stranger moved towards him and gripped him by the shoulders. “Tyler. You are here for a reason. This happened to you because you believe. You believe in a better world, a better life! I can’t come with you right now, but I wish I could. Everyone has to make their journey alone. It’s a tradition, but just remember.  
You are here for a reason. Don’t give in, and don’t give up.”

Tyler was in shock. This stranger was talking to him with such determination. The feeling of familiarity grew.  
“I… I know you I’m sure of it- I-Who are you?”  
The stranger’s eyes turned cold again.  
“I need to go.” He shoved the flower into Tyler’s hands, turned and made his way back to where he came from.

Tyler was stunned.  
He looked down at the flower in his hand.  
And smiled.  
__________________________________________


End file.
